New Zealand Tissue Mill Using Geothermal Steam in Process

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SCA, Stockholm, Sweden, has set a goal to reduce 20% of its carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. The company’s tissue mill in Kawerau, New Zealand, just recently managed to reduce its emissions and match that in a single stroke. The mill was able to tap into a nearby geothermal zone and draw naturally occurring steam into its process, replacing steam previously generated by on-site boilers fired with non-renewable gas. As a result, the mill was able to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 39%.

The Kawerau mill constructed a new pipeline and installed processing equipment to draw the steam from naturally occurring thermal activity in nearby geothermal heat field zones and into the plant. But the project involved more than just pulling in the geothermal energy. A sustainable relation with the owners of the land was also required. SCA had already worked together with the local Maori – the Tuwharetoa tribe. The geothermal project is the result of a mutual agreement and a commercial contract for supplying the plant with heat from the Tuwharetoa’s geothermal steam field.

"We aim to set new standards for sound tissue manufacturing. Right now we are looking at the next step and the possibilities to expand the initiative to develop an electrical supply that’s generated by the geothermal energy." says Murray Lucas at SCA Hygiene Australia, Manager at Kawerau Operations.